Baby squirrel or is it?

Sharing a summary of some exciting backyard finds!

Our youngest boy found the little creature pictured above as he was going down the slide and screamed! I was alerted when youngest girl ran inside to tell me they’d found a chipmunk – to hurry and come take a picture. Gathered around, we thought that maybe it was a baby squirrel. The night before, we’d experienced strong winds with a thunderstorm. We decided the squirrel had been knocked out of the nest. It seemed to be shivering in the corner of the swing set treehouse.

We called our friend, Amy, who had recently raised a baby squirrel to find out what to do. She explained, so we readied the animal carrier. We decided we’d take care of this displaced baby squirrel. Brave Eldest Girl went up with a cloth diaper to wrap it up.

That’s when we discovered – it was indeed a flying squirrel! I thought it’s little eyes looked different!

He flew to the base of a tree and climbed right up. So, we didn’t need to rescue it. We just disturbed his rest after a busy night out in the storms. And, whew, it could take care of itself.

Other finds: Mr. toad staying out of the sprinkler. He thought he was out of the way but did not escape discovery.

Plus, last week, on the first day of summer, we had fun with the scavenger hunt activity shared by Handbook of Nature Study. Littlest Girl’s favorite find was a spotted butterfly. (This is a fun activity to print out and do any day of summer!)

Also on the scavenger hunt list – (check!) a really nice patch of mushrooms growing in the back corner of the yard.

The mosquitoes were really bad that day, so we ran back inside pretty quickly.

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About Hodgepodgemom

Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. The biggest lesson she’s learned? At the end of the day – when the dishes are put away and the children are tucked in bed – truly what matters is each child’s relationship with the Lord. Raising children is a God-given privilege and, folks, the time is short.

Comments

A flying squirrel! You are having a great summer with living creatures right in your backyard. First a bunny and now this! I love that your children are so interested in all the different things you have discovered and the sketch of the butterfly is priceless.

I am all for backyard rainbows….miss those days terribly with my own children. Treasure them…as I know you are.

Thanks for sharing your link with the OHC Carnival….it is going to be the best one ever.